Book-holder.



L1. PLAMONDON & R. SHORT.

BOOK HOLDER.

APPLICATION mm Amzs, 1915.

Patented Sept. 5, 1916.

SHEET 1.

2 SHEETS- l. J. PLAMONDON 84 B. SHORT.

BOOK HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 28. m5.

Patented Sept. 5,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- www.

mwwlioz a m 0060!? ISIDORE J. PLAMONDON AND ROBERT SHORT, 0F DUBUQUE, IOWA.

BOOK-HOLDER.

memes.

Specification of Letters "Patent.

Patented eept. 5, 1916.

Application filed April 28, 1915. Serial N 0. 24,571.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, IsmoRE J. PLAMoN- DON and ROBERT SHORT, citizens of the United States, residing at Dubuque, in the county of Dubuque and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bookllolders, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to an improved book holder, and has for its primary object to provide a very simple, serviceble and efficient device for adjusting the elevation or inclination of a book and supporting the same in open position.

The invention has for one of its more particular objects to provide a holding device consisting of yieldingly held holding members adapted to engage over the lower edges of the book leaves, which will operate to efficiently perform its functions when the book is opened at its approximate center or at points near the front or back thereof.

The invention has for an additional object to provide a base structure and a book support hingedly mounted thereon and means adjustable upon the base structure and cooperating with the support to dispose the same in various inclined positions, said support including relatively movable hinged sections and additional means on the support for adjusting said movable sections.

The invention has for a further general object to produce a book holder which is ca pable of manufacture at comparatively small cost, occupies but little space in use, and is very convenient for the purpose in view.

With the above and other objects in view, our invention consists in the novel features of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described, claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of our improved book holder, showing a book arranged thereon; Fig. 2 is a front elevation, the book being opened at a point adjacent the back thereof; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the device, showing the book support disposed in its position of greatest inclination with respect to the base; Fig. i is a central longi tudinal section through the device; Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 55 of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a fragmentary plan view illustrating the mounting of the book holding or clamping members; Fig. 7 is a section taken on the line 7-7 of Fig. 6; and Fig. 8 is a detail perspective view of one of the slide blocks.

Referring in detail to the drawings, 5 designates a baseboard, to the bottom surface of which, adjacent each corner thereof, the rubber tips 6 are suitably secured so as to prevent marring of the surface of a table or other article of furniture upon which the device is arranged. The front and rear edges of this baseboard are preferebly reinforced by nickeled metal straps indicated at 7. In the upper surface of the baseboard 5, a central longitudinally extending groove or channel 8 is formed, and the metal straps 7 constitute stops extending across the opposite ends of this groove.

Upon the baseboard 5, the book support proper is mounted. This support includes a body section 9 which is approximately of the same dimensions as the base 5, and said body is connected at spaced points along its forward edge to the corresponding edge of the baseboard 5 by means of the hinges 10. The upper surface of the body 9 of the book support is centrally provided with a groove or channel 11 therein which extends at right angles with respect to the groove 8 in the baseboard 5.

To the top of the baseboard 5, parallel metal guide strips 12 are secured, the opposed edges of said strips projecting over the groove 8 in said board. Similar metal guide strips 13 are also secured to the upper surface of the body board 9 of the book support and extend over the groove 11 therein. The opposite ends of this groove are closed by the plates 14- secured to the edges of the board 9. Upon the center of the board 9, a narrow bar 15 is arranged, said bar being disposed at right angles to the groove or channel 11 and suitably secured to the body hair 9, as by the screws indicated at 16. To the opposite edges of this centrally fixed bar 15, the adjustable leaves or sections 17 are attached by means of hinges 18. To the forward edge of the board 9, the vertically disposed metal plate 19 is secured, said plate projecting for some distance above the upper surface of said board, and constituting a stop or rest for the book, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 6 and 7 of the drawings, it will be observed that the opposed faces of the body board 9 of the book support and'the bar 15 which is fixed thereon at their forward ends, are re-' with the recesses 20. 23 designates the book holding or clamping rods, each of which is of elongated U-shaped form and has one of its ends disposed through one of the openings 22 in the stop plate 9 and extended into the recesses 20. The extremity of this end of the rod 23 is engaged in one of the sockets 21 while the corresponding end of the other clamping rod is engaged in the other of said sockets. The angularly disposed arms at the opposite or outer ends of said rods, project over the upper edge of th'e stop plate 19 and are normally yieldingly held in engagement upon said plate by means of coil springs 24 which are formed in the opposite end portions of a length of resilient wire and engaged upon the ends of the respective holding rods which extend through the recesses 20. These recesses in the opposed faces of the board 9 and the bar 15, provide ample space for the accommodation of said springs. The extremities of the wire at the outer end of each of the coil springs 24, is securely fixed to the respective rods 23. a

A slide block 25 of substantially triangular shape is provided in opposite sides and adjacent to one edge with grooves 26 to receive the opposed edges of the metal strips 12 which are fixed to the upper surface of the baseboard 5. The inclined face 25 of the slide block is opposed to the bottom face of the body board 9 of the book support; and

is adapted to cooperate therewith when the slide block is pushed forwardly in the groove 8 to elevate the book support and dispose the same in a vertically inclined position. When this block is arranged in the extreme rear end of the groove 8, the book support 1s in an almost horizontal position,

as. will be observed from reference to Fig. 4. Upon forcing the block 25 forwardly, the book support will be elevated to a position of approximately 45 In this latter posi tion of the block, it will be observed that the inclined face 25 thereof does not contact with the board 9 of the support throughout the length of the block, but said board rests upon the slide block only at its upper end. The weight of the book support and the book will thus tend to rock the slide block upon the book support and-cause the metal guldev strips 12 to bind against the walls of the grooves 1n the slide block, thus effectively preventing a casual rearward movement of the block and thereby sustaining the book support in its adjusted position. A pair of slide block 27 are also mounted in the groove 11 of the board 9, said blocks being arranged upon opposite sides of the central bar 15. These blocks are of substantially the same form and construction as the slide block 25 and are held in the groove 11 and guided in their movement by the metal strips 13. These latter blocks are, however, slightly smaller than the block 25. By forcing these blocks 27 inwardly toward the central bar 15, the hingedly'mounted leaves 17 may be raised against the pressure of the ends of the holding rods 23 upon the same so as to dispose the leaves in various horizontally inclined positions with respect to the board 9, or with respect to each other.

Referring now to Fig. 1, it will be noted that when the book, indicated at B, is arranged upon the support and opened at its approximate center, the leaves 17 are disposed at substantially the same angle with respect to a vertical plane, whereas, when the book is opened adjacent the back thereof, as in Fig. 2, the right hand leaf 17 is adjusted to a greater inclination than the left hand leaf to support the back cover and the comparatively small number of pages. The holding rods 23 engage over the lower edges of the book leaves on opposite sides of the center of the book and exert an equal pressure thereon. By thus elevating that side of the book support which receives the smaller portion of the book, it will be seen that the exposed pages will be disposed almost in a horizontal plane, and do not extend at a great angle with respect to each other. Thus, the printed page may be easily and quickly perused without subjecting the eyes to a severe strain. By the proper adjustment of the slide block 25, the book on the support may be raised or lowered and disposed in various inclined positions, as may be best suited to the posture of the reader.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be seen that we have produced a very simply constructed, serviceable and convenient book holder and support which may be easily and quickly adjusted, and is of great practical advantage when used for supporting heavy dictionaries, encyclopedias and the like, such as are generally found in business oflices. The device will occupy but little room in actual use, as it is of no greater size than the book which it is designed to support. It is apparent, however, that the holder may be made in various sizes, and also of any preferred material. The form, proportion and arrangement of the several structural features of the device is also susceptible of considerable modification, and we, therefore, reserve the privilege of re sorting to all such legitimate changes therein as may be fairly embodied within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having thus fully described our invention, What we desire to claim and secure by Letters Patent is 1. A book support including a base, a support proper hingedly mounted upon said base, means arranged in the base and cooperating with the support to bodily move the same and dispose the support in various inclined positions with respect to the base, said support having spaced hingedly mounted. leaves, means carried by the support to yieldingly hold said leaves against movement in one direction, and means adjustable upon the support and cooperating with said leaves to independently move the same with respect to the holding means and dispose the leaves in various inclined positions with respect to each other or with respect to the body of the support.

2. A book support including a base, a support proper hingedly mounted upon said base, means slidable upon the base and 00- operating with said support to dispose the same in various vertically inclined positions with respect to the base, said support having relatively adjustable leaves, means yieldingly holding said leaves against movement in one direction, and means slidably mounted upon the base and cooperating with said leaves to independently adjust the same and dispose the leaves in an inclined position with respect to the body of the support.

3. A book support including a base, a support proper hingedly mounted upon said base, means slidably mounted upon the base and cooperating with the support to sustain the same in various vertically inclined positions with respect to the base, said support having spaced hingedly mounted leaves, book holding means normally acting to yieldingly prevent movement of said leaves in one direction and means slidably mounted upon the support and cooperating with the respective leaves to independently adjust the same against the action of said holding means and dispose the leaves in various inclined positions with respect to the body of the support.

In testimony whereof we hereunto afiix our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

ISIDORE J. PLAMONDON. ROBERT SHORT. WVitnesses:

FRANZ U. WEIHE, JOHN J. Bus.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

